Drama as Galway beat Kerry to win All-Ireland SFC
Drama as Galway beat Kerry to win All-Ireland SFC
Sun, August 2, 2026 at 6:08 PM UTC
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Galway have won the Ladies' All-Ireland Senior Football Championship for the first time since 2004 after a dramatic 2-7 to 0-12 win over Kerry at Croke Park.
Kerry had a last-gasp goal ruled out by referee Maggie Farrelly, which sparked wild celebration from Galway and protests from those in green and gold.
A free from outside the arc from Kerry captain Siofra O'Shea dropped short but touched a Galway defender and went into the net, which the Kingdom felt had won them the title.
But Farrelly said it had been a square ball and the effort was subsequently ruled out, which handed Galway a first senior title in 22 years.
In a repeat of the 2024 decider and before the last-gasp drama, two goals from Leanne Coen had put Galway on the brink of a famous win.
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Galway had a wind advantage in the first half but could not pull clear of Kerry, with the sides locked at 1-4 to 0-7 at the break.
Full forward Coen's superb solo goal in the 15th minute was the highlight of the half, but Kerry kept in touch in the opening 30 minutes thanks to the scoring of Niamh Ni Chonchuir, Emma Costello and captain O'Shea.
The tense affair continued after the restart and Ni Chonchuir's point put Kerry in front, but Galway responded through Olivia Divilly and Roisin Leonard.
Two O'Shea points and an effort from Ni Chonchuir all split the posts to put Kerry back in control, but Corofin's Coen hammered home her second goal of the game with six minutes left to turn the tide back in Galway's favour.
Caoimhe Evans levelled for Kerry to set up a dramatic finale, but Eva Noone's point proved to be decisive before the last-gasp decision by Farrelly to rule out what would have been a Kerry winner.
The defeat means that Kerry lost both the women's and men's All-Ireand finals, after Mayo stunned the Kingdom last month to lift the Sam Maguire for the first time in 75 years.
Source: “AOL Sports”
